


moonlight hill

by soleils



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Couple Costumes, Fluff, M/M, Magic, honestly this is really soft, love potions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-13 14:10:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12985734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soleils/pseuds/soleils
Summary: Renjun thinks he needs a love potion, but realizes the magic was there all along.





	moonlight hill

**Author's Note:**

> This is a not very good, super belated Halloween fic with minimal context/plot that deserved to be finished. And I needed to start shrinking my wip list instead of adding to it...   
>  But whatever because _Halloween is forever_. 
> 
> p.s. this is unedited so i'm sorry for any mistakes 

A mess of orange hair as striking as the warm streaks of color splashed across the sky, peddled furiously down a street he’d known all his life. Row after row of houses washed in the hues of a disappearing sun blurred as the boy rushed toward a hill on the horizon.

Moonlight hill, with its curious curled top and grass that stayed green all year round, was where he was supposed to meet Jeno at sunset, with both of their costumes. But the sun kept setting and Renjun wasn’t peddling fast enough.

Chasing daylight was a lot harder than it looked in the movies.

Jeno would understand, he always did. Every Halloween, they met at moonlight hill before sunset, went around to the best houses for huge candy bars and mountains of chocolate, just to circle back to the hill and stargaze in a sugary haze.

He didn’t really remember when or why they started meeting there, especially since he spent his childhood afraid of its peculiar silhouette looming in the distance. Maybe he was the one to propose the idea, because after all, he had a perfect record of always getting to the hill before his best friend. Maybe it _was_ when they started middle school and Renjun couldn’t resist the urge to indulge the way Jeno gazed at it in wonder every bike ride back home.

This year, was different. He was late, and the rattling of face paint, brushes, and an unassuming glass vial full of a cloudy pink liquid bumped around in his backpack, making the ride all the more urgent.

But then again, searching for teenage witches in his area and brewing love potions wasn’t exactly a solid excuse. He should’ve asked his new friend Mark if there was such a thing as a transport spell before he left.

The meeting itself wasn’t _that_ exciting, if you gloss over that a whole hidden world of magic had been exposed over a burger and fries, and never mind the fact it was at a diner he later found out doubled as a supernatural rendezvous point. He always knew there was something suspicious about their neon lights buzzing eternally into the night. But believe it or not, it wasn’t surprising, considering he lived in the shadow of a hill that seemed to magnify the moon to its true cosmic proportion every time they climbed to the top. In the end, he got what he asked for from the brown-haired witch with choppy bangs and silly eyebrows, in exchange for just a couple locks of hair, without all of the “double double toil and trouble” and dramatics of a bubbling cauldron.

By the time he reached the base of the hill the sun was gone, hidden beneath the horizon as velvety navy blues melted into what was left of glowing amber. It had been a cloudless day, and the night was going to be the same, perfect for bathing in starlight.

He hopped off the metal frame of his bike and let it fall to the grass before he noticed Jeno’s neatly propped up on its kickstand a few feet away. The contrast made him giggle as he spotted a solitary silhouette already at the top of the hill.

Jeno was already light years away, mind among the brightest stars already out against the darkening sky. And it was always Renjun’s job to be there to bring him back down to earth.

He pulled on the straps of his backpack sagging from the force of the upward incline, as he took long strides to the top.

Evening dew was already forming on the grass, reflecting the light from the stars, brightening it to a supernatural shade. Reaching the top, he slid off the straps and ran to the silver haired boy waiting for him.

“Sorry I’m late.” He said to the sitting figure, grabbing Jeno’s shoulders and leaning over to show him an upside-down smile. “Did you make it past the milky way this time?”

Jeno pushed himself up from the ground to protest, but the momentum sent Renjun tipping and they both tumbled down laughing into the dew.

The bright sounds filled the crisp air until dampness finally seeped through their sweaters. Renjun was the first to get up and return to the abandoned backpack. Halloween only happened once a year, and according to Mark, spells and potions _did_ work better tonight. So there wasn’t any time to waste.

A week ago, they had decided to go as Jack and Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas—Jeno’s favorite movie. Which Renjun still hadn’t watched, but it didn’t matter, because he’d rather hear the story told a million different times from Jeno, than from anyone else.

He throws the signature black and white pinstriped blazer toward the boy still collecting dew and it falls over his head.

“I heard you went on a date.” The unexpected statement came out muffled from under the cloth.

Trusting Jaemin to cover for him was never a good idea, but in his defense, his afternoon turned out more hectic than expected.

But a _date_? The last thing he wanted Jeno to think was that he was off parading around with someone else on their day…

_Their_ day. He unconsciously let out a soft sigh, because it was naïve of him to think Jeno actually cared more about today than any other day they’ve spent together.

But it was more convincing than the truth. How was he supposed to explain the days he spent searching for at least a semi-believable recipe for love potions? Not to mention he miraculously found Mark “the witch” when he stumbled upon a twitter account claiming to give out recipes for potions and spells, but there was only one twitter user subtly correcting them in their mentions.

“You really annoyed Jaemin enough to get an answer out of him?” The orange haired boy turned his back on the other, knowing his face would betray him.

Finally sitting up, and pulling the blazer over his black sweater, Jeno shrugged at the question.

“I threatened him with changing his Nintendo network ID.” He replied matter-of-factly, more preoccupied with the detachable collar poking at his neck.

“That is pretty scary…” Renjun’s sarcasm faded along with his words, wanting to change the subject to the matter at hand. He needed face paint, and digging through his backpack was the same as trying to find something swallowed by a black hole.

“Come here.” He tapped the first brush he could find against his thighs, knees digging into the damp ground. Jeno quickly followed and Renjun tried to hide the quick inhale he had to take at the sudden proximity of their faces. “As soon as I start painting _don’t move_ , ok?”

They may have had illusions of grandeur when it came to this year’s Halloween concept, especially since they were the brokest pair of high schoolers he ever knew. But he didn’t hesitate to volunteer to do their face paint—an innocent excuse for getting to touch his best friend’s face—in a non-creepy way.

He started with the white, using his fingers before the brush, to spread it across features he’d grown to know even better than his own.

Jeno closed his eyes as soon as he felt cool paint being smoothed onto his cheeks.

“It’s a shame the moon isn’t out tonight. It’s the best part.” The silence between them was comfortable, but small talk always helped Renjun with nerves. He just had to make sure to keep it surface level until the time was right.

“How was it?” Jeno had a bad habit of cutting past the bullshit.

“How was what?” He feigned ignorance in a weak attempt to keep the conversation from going back to its inevitable beginning.

“You know, the ‘date’ or whatever.” The other boy opened his eyes, noticing how the fingers moving across his skin had stopped.

_There was no date, silly._ But he couldn’t say that. Not yet.

“Stop moving.” Tight lipped and taking face painting way too seriously, he kept avoiding any mention of what he had been up to during the day.

Until he softens at the touch of slender hands settling on his thighs.

 “Sorry, guess I wasn’t stable enough. But this helps.” It made sense now that the moon was missing, it had fallen from the sky, showing up in the form of crescents on the face in front of him, as Jeno flashed him a smile. He felt a playful squeeze, “seriously, why are you avoiding it? Was it that bad?”

It was a good thing they were under soft starlight; it hid the burning in his cheeks.

“The real question is, do you really want to know?” He asks the smiling boy, fingers starting once again, shifting his focus from such radiance.

But as soon as the question is left hanging in the air, his thighs are left cold and empty again.

“Honestly?” A single cloud starts to crawl its way across the hill, darkness creeping toward them at the top. Unexpected laughter bubbles from his best friend, building until he’s forced to stop spreading white. “Not really.” Jeno replies in between laughs.

It’s Renjun’s turn to back up, confused, looking at the boy hunched over, laughing at something that wasn’t supposed to be a joke. The sound cuts through the temporary darks that shrouds them, the cloud looming directly overhead. It hides their expressions, and Renjun would say he could know what his best friend was feeling, even in the dark, but not this time.

Why was it so different when it came to sensing if there was a chance for something _more_?

“I guess you really don’t care.” At least the momentary darkness was there to hide his disappointment. He switches from the white to black face paint, waiting for the other to straighten so he could paint the holes of jack’s eyes—or where they should’ve been. “I mean, you have no reason to.”

But in that moment, the cloud passed and Renjun saw how familiar crescents widened into full moons, soft light from above reflecting their sincerity.

“Ren—” A sigh escapes from the other boy’s lips. “Look, it’s not that. I _do_ care. More than you know.” The last part barely made it above a murmur.

“Then what is it?” It was getting harder to ignore the acidic taste on his tongue. “Why don’t you actually _try_ to explain how you feel this time? Instead of me having to stay one step ahead, always trying to grasp at your feelings in the dark.”

Ignoring all warnings not to move, Jeno wrapped his arms around Renjun, pulling him in tight.

The boy nuzzled his nose into orange strands, whispering, “where did _that_ come from?”

It had been a while since they hugged this close, and Renjun had nearly forgotten how safe it felt inside these arms. But the cold came again as Jeno separated them, holding him at arm’s length.

“I don’t really know _how_ to describe what it is. You know I’ve never been good at that.” Avoiding Renjun’s gaze, he looked to the sky, and no other stray clouds were in sight. “Maybe I was scared you actually had a good time.”

Renjun rolls his eyes. There was no point in thinking about the meaning that could be hidden behind those words. There was too much at stake, so he safely deflected. “ _You_? Scared? You aren’t scared of anything.”

“It’s a different type of scared.”

They stay like that in silence, as Jeno gives his best friend that reassuring smile, the one he sees even when they’re apart.

Renjun’s only response is to get back to work finishing the second eye. He needed a chance to absorb the rare confession, especially the one left unsaid.

He worked quickly, cleaning up unintentional gray areas and finally adding the finishing touch to the ghastly mug—several rows of skeleton teeth.

When he’s done, he pauses to admire his work as he brushes wayward strands from Jeno’s face. A face that even smeared with ghoulish face paint, still softened for him.

He sighs, realizing it’s now or never. No matter the outcome. There was no other way to get rid of the unsaid rattling around his brain.

Renjun pushes himself off from the grass without a word, going straight for the glass vial buried in his bag. He clutches at it with both hands, the glow emanating through his skin as he walked back to a watching Jeno.

“I thought this wasn’t real, so I went looking for something to make it real.”

He keeps more space between them this time, crossing his legs as he sits on the ground across from the other boy, cautiously uncovering his hands to show glittering swirls.

“Which, before I explain, I _know_ was stupid and I wasn’t ready for everything that came with bartering a stupid love po—”

“Mark gave you one?” Jeno closes the space between them, gawking at the pretty vial.

“Magic is real, and—” Registering the unexpected lack of surprise, Renjun stares incredulously at the wide-eyed boy.

“I’ve been begging him to give me one for weeks…” The boy too interested in the actual potion to pay any attention to Renjun struggling to spill his heart out.

“What are you—”

“Can you believe he even blocked me on twitter for asking too much?” He shakes his head, finally looking up into a face full of annoyance.

“Can you _please_ let me finish _one_ sentence?!” Renjun withdraws the potion, an eyebrow twitching at how _not_ in control he was of the situation. “I’m trying to tell you why I was late, why I have this cute glowing drink, _why I was desperate enough to buy us a love potion.”_

“And I’m trying to tell you I know what it is…I can’t believe this.” Jeno stands, only to dramatically take an invisible spear to the heart, falling down in front of a petrified Renjun. “How did I not notice…me, _Jeno_ , being conspired against with by his own best friend and some witch he just met?”

“You know? _Everything_?”

“The first time I remember us stepping onto this hill, I knew. And Mark’s my neighbor.” Jeno props himself up by his elbows, fixing the ridiculously oversized collar of his blazer, and nodded. “I mean how else do you explain a curled top? _Erosion_? Nah. And the grass always being green? _Even in winter_? There’s really no other way to explain this place. Especially when there’s a full moon and we sit up here and it’s so big we can see ourselves swimming in its craters.”

He sat up completely now, shaking off the dew he had fallen into once more as he moved closer to Renjun. “You just never noticed because you were too busy always trying to pull me back down to earth.”

This time, the burning in his cheeks created pops of crimson, without any clouds to hide it.

“I’m sorry you thought we needed this.” He grabs the glass veil from between Renjun’s fingers. “I’m sorry _I_ never stayed grounded enough to show you what has always been here. Between us.”

Renjun’s been still the whole time, hanging onto every word that came out of the mouth he’s thought about kissing every day since he realized he couldn’t live without his best friend.

But this didn’t change anything. Because tonight, Renjun laughed instead of crying. Because crying from happiness is only second best to laughing so hard your stomach hurts and your throat can’t make sounds anymore. Because tonight, on their night, he’s facing a Jeno with a half painted face telling him to not worry anymore. Because tonight, his eyes were opened not once, but twice, and he got to see the moon fall from the sky. Because tonight, on Halloween, his best friend told him there _was_ something more. And the same reassuring pair of eyes rimmed with acrylic black staring back at him were being squished by a ridiculous smile, telling him nothing had to change, because they’ve always been the same.

Renjun takes back the glass filled to the brim with pink, and gathers his brushes and paint forgotten on the ground. He doesn’t say anything to Jeno, who watches him, not knowing where to go from here.

He goes back to his backpack, letting everything in his hands—except the potion—fall in before grabbing the patchwork dress of his costume. It fell over his outfit, fitting snugly against the layers he already had on, and zipped his bag up before turning to the boy waiting, with that perpetual smile on his face.

Renjun returns the grin, widely, before cupping his hands around his lips.

“Last one down carries both bags of candy on our way home!” He bellows obnoxiously, with only Jeno a few feet away. And he zips past his own Jack Skellington as he makes his way down their own curly top hill.

The backpack bounced against his shoulder, and he glanced down to the vial still in his hand. He uncorks it, raises it, and watches as the pink smoke dissolves above him, leaving a trail in the dry autumn air.

He was never one to change something that was already there.

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it this far, as always thank you for reading. ❤    
>  check me out on [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/soieiis) for random updates and nct


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